Buoyancy device



Dec. 3, 1940. I ARDERN 2,223,880

BUOYANCY DEVICE Filed Aug. 15/ 1938 Inv'er) ar Patented Dec. 3, 1940 BUOYAN CY DEVICE Arthur Thomas Ardern, Auckland, New Zealand Application August 15, 1938, Serial No. 225,051 In Australia March 14,1938

2 Claims.

This invention relates to buoyancy devices which contain material or a substance lighter than the liquid or other fluid in which they are to be used and more particularly to such devices suitable for human use in water, such as the sea and the like.

The object of the device is to provide means suitable for human use and wherein buoyancy is applied to the body where most desired by the particular wearer and also to provide for adjustment of the buoyancy device as desired by a wearer and in a position as may be required for fitting the wearer, at the same time allowing freedom of movement. by the wearer. Also the objects provide for a device which can be made buoyant in any desired portion of the device.

The improved buoyancy device made in accordance with this invention is fashioned from material such as rubber or rubberized cloth material capable of holding or imprisoning materials or substances lighter than a liquid or fluid in which the device is intended for use and comprises bifurcated parts shaped and formed for accommodation on the body of the wearer in the form of a harness passing over the shoulders and about the trunk and the upper portions of the legs and in vicinity of the crutch of the body; and means for adjusting the harness to the wearer where the-parts of the harness are in juxtaposition; and means for passing buoyancy material or substance into the parts of the device.

Further, the invention provides for a buoyancy device made in separable parts and such parts having enlargements such as pouches which are distensible as compared with the general contour of the device.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is front view of the device applied to a human figure with means of joining and adjustment,

Figure 2 is another front view of the device applied to human figure with other means of joining and adjustment,

Figure 3 is back view of the device according to Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a back view of the device according to Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a part front view of the device applied to a human figure with yet another means of joining and adjustment,

Figure 6 is a back view of the device according to Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a fragmental view of the device showing the valve for inflating the device with a buoyancy substance such as'atmospheric air and a'frictional grip joining ends of a shoulder portion together.

As illustrated in the drawing, the buoyancy de- 1 vice is bifurcated into parts I and 2 of a harness, pre-ferablymade of a resilient rubberized material and having means holding the parts in juxtaposition to accommodate the harness on the human figure including over the latters shoulders and about the trunk and about the upper portions of the legs, near the crutch of the figure.

Thus, according to the invention, one bifurcation is accommodated back and front, on one side h for accommodation on the average figure near the upper part of the wearers chest, back and front and near each hip, to avoid interference with the wearers respiration.

As illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing, the connections joining the parts I and 2 have flaps 3 and 4 respectively which form the halves of a mechanical sliding fastener, preferably of the separable locking type and known under the trade name or description as a Zip or Talon fastener. Instead of the above mentioned connections dome fasteners may be incorporated in the flaps 3 and 4; and further the flaps 3 and 4 may have holes for taking a lace whereby the wearer can draw and join the flaps 3 and 4 together and thus hold the parts of the device in juxtaposition as required to suit the wearer. illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, the last mentioned connection is preferably incorporated at the back of the device to hold the parts together so that adjustment of the device to the figure of the wearer can be made and the designed adjustment retained and front connection made by the sliding or dome fastener for applying or removing the device from the figure of the wearer.

Near the connection joining the front of the parts I and 2, the latter have distensible parts or pouches 5 and 6 which hold buoyancy material to give added buoyancy to the device at that position of the device whereby that part of the wearers figure will be uppermost in water and free from the latter to assist in the wearers breathing.

In accommodating the bifurcated parts to the human figure as illustrated, each is passed over the shoulder of a wearer to form shoulder portion I and 8 respectively, and each portion may be sectionally divided and ends sealed and provided with means for joining the ends of each division together. Preferably such connecting means comprises a narrowed end of one division passed upon a frictional grip or buckle attached to the other end as illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawing, and by passing the grip or buckle upon the narrowed end aforesaid, the shoulder portion and the device generally, may be adjusted as to length in accordance with a wearers requirements.

The portions of the bifurcated parts accommodated in juxtaposition on the upper parts of the wearers legs and in the vicinity of the wearers crutch, are each brought to a side of the wearer near the wearers hips, and each of said portions is held together in that position approximating the wearers hips so that loops 9 and. ID for passing upon wearers legs are made in each of said parts of the device. The loops 9 and ID are preferably adjustably held together so that the loops are adjustable to the size desired and so that the loops are kept as far as possible from the wearers crutch to minimise interference with the operation of the wearers legs, particularly as is required in performing the action of swimming. A preferred connecting means for bringing about loops 9 and I0, is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 and comprises sleeves l I made of resilient material such as rubber, which sleeves II are passed upon said leg parts of the device and are tight fits and grip upon the said leg parts when the device is inflated as aforesaid. The sleeves H are preferably made with bell mouths to assist in sliding the sleeves upon the device and gaining the desired adjustment and size of the loops in accordance with the requirements of the wearer. The said portions of the bifurcated parts approximating the wearers legs may be held together and adjustable as to the size of the loops for the wearers legs by incorporating on flaps l2 and I3 attached to juxtapositioned portions of the device, a sliding fastener preferably of the locking type and known under the trade name or description as a Zip or Talon fastener. In accordance with this invention the particular part of the loops 9 and i immediately between the wearers legs is narrowed, flattened or formed so as to be as flat as possible against the wearers legs consistent with the holding of buoyancy material or substance and not to impede the movement of the legs. In one form the loops may be divided and as described and illustrated with reference to the shoulder portions of the device, frictional buckles to take narrowed end parts of the loops may be incorporated in the latter to give added adjustment in leg parts of the device.

In the preferred form of the invention as illustrated in the drawing and described herein, the device is divided into two separate units which are provided separately with inflating material, and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, valves I4 and I5 are inserted in the respective parts I and 2 of the device near to the wearers mouth so that a mouth piece l6 (see Figure '7) is accessible to the wearers mouth for inflation with air from the month, while the device is in use. An anchored stopper 1! is provided to close the valve by insertion in the mouth piece, or a ball valve.

If desired, the device may be joined to form a single unit for inflation from one valve or it may be made so that a shoulder and/or a leg portion and/or the loops are each inflated separately.

What I do claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States of America is:

1. A buoyant device comprising two opposed side parts containing buoyant material, each part including front and rear portions and a shoulder engaging member connecting the front and rear portions, a hip member depending from the front and rear portions and a leg receiving loop carried by the hip member, means adjustably connecting the front and rear portions of the respective parts, and means for adjusting the size of the leg loops.

2. A buoyant device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said leg loops are inflatable and the means for adjusting the size thereof ineludes resilient sleeves frictionally engaging said loops and having bell mouths to facilitate sliding the sleeves on said loops.

ARTHUR THOMAS ARDERN. 

